Dispensing device



May 15, 1928.

- 1,669,624 E. H. MOORE ET AL v DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Sept. 4. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gnuaml'ow,

May 15, 1928. 1,669,624

E. H. MOORE ET AL msmansma DEVICE Filed Sept. 4, 1926 2 Sheets-Sh? 2 I glwuemtom Q Edgar [fag/e0 fifoar'e 9 Cizariey firuee'd'arrazf Patented May 15, 1928.

UNITED STATES FATENT QFFICE} EDGAR H. moons, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND CHARLIE B. sUnnArnor :onnsnnn, TENNESSEE.

DISPENSING DEVICE.

Application filed September 4, 1926. Serial No. 133,635.

This invention relates to dispensing devices and more particularly to a device for dispensing granular substances, such as sugar, coffee or the like.

An important object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which, in operation, is capable of dispensing the proper bulk of the article to correspond to a selected payment and which is particularly adapted for dispensing odd lots of the article, such, for example, as twenty-five or fifty.

cents worth thereof, when the article is retailing at say six cents per pound.

. A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a device of this character adjustable to compensate for variations in the price of the article which is being dispensed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily and cheaply construxcted, which will be durable and efficient in service and a general improvement in the art.

These and other objects we attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustrationis shown a preferred embodiment of our invention and wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation partially broken away of a dispensing device constructed in accordance with our invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof with portions of the casing broken away;

Figure 3 is a similar side elevation of the opposite side;

Figure 4- is a section on the line l--4t of Figure l.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally ccsignates a casing, the upper section of which is formed as a bin 11 for the reception of the article to be vended. At the lower end of the casing, an outlet spout 12 is provided for guiding the dispensed contents into a bag or other suitable receptacle. Connecting the outlet 13 of the hopper 11 and outlet spout 12 is a vertically extending dispensin spout 14:, one wall 15 of which is movab e to vary the capacity of the spout. In the present instance, the spout is shown as rectangular, three walls thereof being rigidly connected to one another to provide a substantially U-shaped trough, while the fourth wall slides between the spaced ends of the two side walls 16 and is in the form of, a vertically extending block. U-shaped yokes 17 have the ends of the arms thereof secured to the side walls 16 and the-cross bar which, by their coaction with the edge of one of the walls 16, provide a guide for determining the depth to which the block 15 is projected between the arms 14. Associated with these lines are suitable indicia 22' corresponding to the cost price per pound of the substance being vended. If the cost of the article is six cents per pound, a line having the indicia 6 adjacent thereto is aligned with the edge of the associated wall 16 in order that the dispensing spout may have the proper cross sectional area. The front wall 20 is provided with vertically spaced slots 26 through which are slidable slide valves 27, 27, the edges of which are guided by grooves 28 formed in adjacent faces of the side walls 16. Thelowermost slide valve 27 is arranged immediately above the upper end of the outlet spout 12 and has secured thereto an operating handle 29 extending directly through the front wall of the casing 10. The remaining slides 27 each have pivot-ally secured thereto one end of a lever 30, the opposite end of which has pivotally connected thereto a push rod 31 which projects through the front wall of the casing and is provided with a button head 32 which serves both as a means for operating the rod and as an indicia support.

Through these rods, the slide valves 27 may be either completely withdrawn vor advanced, so that they do not in any way obstruct the dispensing spout 14 or sothat they completely obstruct the same without regard to the position of the rear wall. The front faces of buttons 32 bear indicia 33- corresponding to given sums of money, as five, ten, fifteen, etc., and the valves associated therewith are properly spaced so that they cut off a column of the substance which is being dispensed of the proper height for the given Value represented by the indicia. If, for example, sugar is selling for five cents a pound and the rear wall is properly adjusted, the valve associated with the button bearing the indicia 10, when moved inwardly into engagement with the rear wall, will cut off between itself and the valve actuated by the handle 29 a column of sugar within the dispensing spout 14, which contains two pounds of sugar, whereas if the sugar is selling at six cents a pound and the Wall is properly adjusted, it will out oif but one and two-thirds pounds of sugar.

The levers 30 are preferably mounted upon a single vertically extending pivot shaft 34:,

bearing the indicia 50 is engaged with the spacers 35 being disposed between adjacent levers to maintain them in properly spaced relation. V

In operation, it will, of course,,be understood that the lower valve 27 is normally forced inwardly by itshandle until it engages the rear wall and theremaining valves are all withdrawn, so that they do not obstruct the spout 14C. a person asks for fifteen cents worth oiisugar, the button fingers and shifted outwardly until the valve associated therewith comes into en gagement with'the wall 15. A bag is then placed in position at the outlet spout and the lowermost valve 27 opened through its handle 29, permitting the substance to pass out through the outlet spout to the bag. When the substance below the actuated valve has been removed, the lowermost valve again closed and the valve, whose operating button bears the indicia 50, again shifted to its open position.

It will be obvious that by the use of an apparatus of this character, a grocer is enabledto dispense substances lILOClCl lots with out the necessity of troublesome and time consuming calculations to determine what the proper amount of the substance may be at the present price per pound.

' of the column within the dispensing spout whereby the column ojt the substance within the "dispensing spout may be regulated to have a predetermined value at vaiiy'ing'costs" per pound, a valve normally closing communication between the outlet spout audithe lower end of the dispensing spout, the wall of the dispensing spout opposing the movable wall thereof having slots, valves slidable through said slots'for engagement with the movable wall in any ofsaid positions to am-ow cut oh the column of the substance lying therebelow from the receptacle the remainder of the dispensing spout, a cwsin surrounding said dispensing spout an valves, a vertical shaft within said casing, a lever connected at one end to each valve and at its center to a shaft andpan operating rod connected with the opposite end" of each lever projecting through the Wall of the casing the outer end of each operating rod having means associated therewith rndicat ing the value of the portion otthe' column cut off by operation of the valve. i

In testimony iwhereot we hereunto affix our signatures; a

EDGAR H. MOORE.

, CHARLIE B. SURRATT. 

